Nvidia Confirms Quad-Core Smartphones for MWC 2012

HTC might launch a Tegra 3 handset at the event, others could follow

This year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, will mark a new step in the evolution of the smartphone market.

The first quad-core handsets in the world will be unveiled at the event, and they will pack Nvidia’s Tegra 3 chipset.

The chipmaker has long promised the availability of smartphones that will pack application processors featuring 4 cores, and the move is finally happening.

In the invitation it sent out for its Mobile World Congress 2012 press conference in Barcelona, the company announces devices packing quad-core application processors.

Moreover, the invitation suggests that smartphones will take the stage at the event, something that many have been waiting since last year’s MWC, that’s for sure.

The handset that can be seen in Nvidia’s press invite appears to come from HTC, and resembles a bit the HTC Incredible S, though it appears to be different from the HTC Edge that was rumored for the MWC a while ago.

One thing that is certain is the fact that HTC will bring to shelves handsets packing Nvidia’s Tegra 3 chip, and that the first of them could indeed make an official appearance before the end of this month.

A recent article on DigiTimes suggests that shipments of Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor will increase in the first half of this year, courtesy of orders coming from HTC.

The handset vendor will strengthen its collaboration with Nvidia in an attempt to become more competitive in a market that is increasingly dominated by Samsung and Apple.

The Tegra 3 application processor is expected to make it inside devices such as LG Optimus X3, the aforementioned HTC Edge, and an Arrows tablet PC from Fujitsu.

What remains to be seen is which of these devices will be made official at the said press event planned for the MWC. HTC’s device appears to be almost certainly present there, and the rest of the pack might join the party as well.